As a change from the Sundays of hard graft some of the Group made it a day out in the summer sunshine last weekend with South Shropshire Countryside Manager Pete Carty touring some of the latest project sites and potential new worksites around Carding Mill Valley and Hopesay Hill on the far west of our patch.
The day started in leisurely fashion with coffee and cake on the roof terrace of the tea room at CMV as a thank you from Peter for the recent weekends’ efforts.
Then it was travel around the hill as we visited some of the more secluded patches to see recent efforts underway at hay meadow restoration and the promotion of wild flowers in conjunction with local farmers and land-owning groups.
This is all comes under the umbrella of the Steeping Stones project connecting parcels of land in the area, so offering greater benefits to nature it was explained.
Habitat promotion at some of the pools up on the top of the Long Mynd still need some man-made interventions to keep them in great nick we were told.
…..Meadows being specifically curated on the lower slopes of the valley side.
At Hopesay we could see the results of our previous efforts planting new trees at the end of 2016 – on land adjoining that owned by the Trust. As Pete explained, next task is to plant some more (up to another 5,000 saplings). Seems that the positive results from our previous attempt mean that we may have another try!
Whilst some just enjoyed making the most of the day’s sunshine!
Thanks to Peter for his time spent explaining to us where all the hard work and effort goes…..
Shropshire and Staffordshire National Trust Volunteers 